subject: The Official Story Of The Formal Shirt [print this page] Shirts have been worn by men for centuries now and have always been a symbol of their refinement and elegance. Formal shirts have characterized the man, his life and choices. From the royalty to the common man, the formal shirt has evolved with time.
At 7 in the morning, you have just come back from your jog and are wondering what to wear at work? Would the blue one look better? Or would you nail the presentation with the classic white one? Billions of men around the globe think of what to wear for work every morning as they flip through their collections of formal office shirts. The modern day choices available in formal shirts are a result of constant innovation in design and fabric and styling that occurred over the centuries and is still being made.
Formal shirt as most of us refer to it in common language is required for formal occasions- a wedding, a business dinner, a cocktail evening or any event which requires a man to wear a formal suit or a tuxedo. Dress shirts are meant to be worn under a suit. However, in every day lingo, formal shirt is also used to describe what would normally be called as the office wear. As in shirts which could be worn in office, without any blazer or a suit. Most office goers, team up their formal shirts with ties and get ready for a day at the office.
Now, most of you would agree when we say that the most common formal shirt color is blue. Yes, blue is the most popular color of office wear shirts followed by the more formal white and greys. The color blue became the benchmark of formal shirts around the 19th century when industrial workers of the time wore blue colored uniforms. Did you know that the phrase blue collar was coined after this blue uniform of 19th century workers? This blue shade has now evolved into the highly popular navy blue work shirt.
The journey from blue collar to white collar took some decades and the term 'white collar' made an appearance in the 1930s. It was Upton Sinclair who coined the term when he used it in reference to present day management, administrative and clerical professionals. The term white collar was quite obvious to arrive at because the then dress shirt of the 19th and 20th century European countries and the United States, was always white in color. The whiteness of the collar was an indicator of the male workers class and it was always kept in pristine white condition.
We have been through with industrial workers, administrative workers and management officers. Now, we talk about the banking professionals. What we presently refer to as the bankers collar shirt was invented by Mrs. Hannah Montague in 1827 in Troy, New York. Her easy to clean and maintain collar soon became a nationwide rage and manufacturers started making collars to be sold in US and around the world. These collars, especially the ones made from linen became a symbol of prestige for the office goers.
With time, the formal shirt was designed by a number of designers aiming for a better fit, higher comfort and sharper look for the men who wore them. Formal shirts are now available in a number of styles from open collars to button down ones, from regular fits to slim fitting designs. And as you choose them remember to pair them with the right tie to complete the formal/official look.
